While we’ve already learned some tips for how to choose the best bathing suits to slim your figure, it’s not really that helpful if you can’t even get yourself to the store to start trying them on. This isn’t a scare tactic; for many women, it’s reality. The prospect of trying on teeny bikinis in front of a full-length mirror under fluorescent lights—and perhaps the prying eyes of the circling sales attendants—is enough to make even the bravest among us run for cover.

But, contrary to popular opinion, the experience doesn’t have to be a horrifying one. It can be pleasant, and—dare we say it!—even fun.

We, too, were skeptical, but an expert convinced us it’s possible. Audrey Jimenez, a style and fit expert at New York’s Upper East Side location of chic swim store Everything But Water, shared with us her tried-and-true tips for making a…